California sports hero and worldwide golf superstar Phil Mickelson had some choice words about the new state and federal income tax rates he, as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, will be forced to pay as a California resident. That is, if he remains in...
Focused And Personalized Attention Concerning Your Estate Planning Needs
Michael A. Sawamura, Attorney at Law
Power of attorney can help with late-life decisions
Many readers here in California may be fans of recording artist Amy Grant. Of course, like any famous singer, Grant carries on much of her life outside of the public eye. In a recent article, the singer opened up about her parents' life as they reached old age and its...
Estate planning helps Californians deal with state taxes increase
High-income Californians may have expected a modest tax increase this year but that does not mean anyone is excited about having to pay up to 3 percent more in income taxes this year. While dependent exemptions went up a paltry $6 per child, people making over...
Domestic partnership laws might gain clarity in 2013
Last month the U.S. Supreme Court decided that it will hear two cases dealing with same-sex couples and the discrimination they have encountered under federal and California laws. The Supreme Court will hear the cases in March and may have a decision sometime around...
Ca couple discovers marriage never recorded 48 years later
A couple from Redlands, California, recently made an interesting discovery about the marriage that they thought they had shared for nearly half a century. As the two were preparing their wills and collecting estate planning documents, they could not find their...
Thomas Kinkade estate battle ends in silence
Our California readers may have read about what initially appeared to be an imminent and vicious court battle between the wife of deceased painter Thomas Kinkade and the woman who was his live-in girlfriend at the time of his death. Kinkade, whose paintings and...
Substitute teacher inherits astounding treasure of gold coins
Earlier this month a Nevada judge certified that a substitute teacher from California is the sole heir to an unexpected fortune. The fortune was left behind by a family member who was a reclusive retiree from Carson City. As the only traceable living heir, the woman...
2013 tax considerations for California estate planning
Californians may have seen a recent financial news article about the new taxes from the Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as Obamacare, that are scheduled to go into effect at the beginning of 2013. In particular, people need to pay attention to a new 3.8%...
Estate planning in the face of a divorce
Californians may have seen a recent article that discussed the financial implications of divorce, especially for women. Whether male or female, divorce usually constitutes a major life shift, and though there are plenty of considerations one has to take into account...
Supreme Court rulings could impact California same-sex couples
California has been no stranger to the controversy surrounding same-sex marriage and the courts continue to struggle to make sense of the situation. Some much-needed guidance on legal issues related to same-sex marriage may be on the horizon, as the United States...